Boulder man’s body found at Georgetown music fest

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Authorities say they don’t suspect foul play in the death of a 34-year-old Boulder man whose body was found in a tent at the Sonic Bloom music festival in Georgetown Sunday morning.

Nolan Farrell appeared to have been dead for several hours when his body was discovered, according to Clear Creek County officials.

The cause of death has not been determined, but authorities said drugs or alcohol may have been involved. An autopsy was performed Monday and a toxicology report is pending.

The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office received the call around 9 a.m. Sunday and responded to the campsite. Emergency medical personnel attempted unsuccessfully to revive Farrell at the scene.

An online music publication called Reverb reported Farrell was found in a stranger’s tent without any form of identification on him.

Reverb reported a “ceremony and prayer in regards to the community loss,” was organized and that 400-500 people gathered for a “group hug” to honor the fallen concertgoer. The information was attributed to a festival spokeswoman.

Attempts to contact concert representatives by email Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Sonic Bloom is a four-day concert event.

“As long as this event has been going on, there are always issues,” said Bruce Snelling, a captain with the clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office. “You bring 4,000 or 5,0000 people together for several days and it doesn’t always go smoothly. You add in hot weather, illegal drugs, alcohol and people are at a place of high altitude. They make bad choices and are not in the best of health.”

Offenses have ranged from drug-related crimes to indecent exposure.

This year, a number of tickets were written for issues like interference and obstruction, Snelling said.

“They were fairly minor things,” he said. “Most people were just summonsed and released.”

The festival, which wrapped up Sunday night, attracted an estimated 3,500 to 4,000 people.

The electronic-music even feature dozens of acts, including Opiuo, Vibesquad, Random Rab, ZILLA, The Polish Ambassador and Orchard Lounge, as well as workshops, yoga and activities like white water rafting and belly dancing classes.